Yemen's Houthis claim strikes on Saudi navy vessels in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi movement said it had struck a Saudi military landing ship and four escort boats with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea off Mokha, according to a statement from its armed forces released on August 18.

The claim, was not reported by Saudi state media agency SPA, marks an escalation in hostilities between the Iran-aligned group that controls much of northern Yemen and Saudi Arabia, whose military intervention against the movement has run for close to a decade.

The landing ship was directly hit and destroyed by fire, while several escort boats were sunk and others set ablaze, the armed forces said.

The group added that it was monitoring Saudi military movements and warned that such deployments would remain targets on land and at sea.

The statement restated a "blockade for blockade" policy and pledged to target Saudi military positions wherever they were located.

In a separate operation, the group said it had struck a weapons depot belonging to Saudi-backed forces at the Sahn al-Jin camp in Marib with drones, starting a fire.

The reported strikes come amid heightened tensions, with the Houthis repeatedly warning that Saudi troop movements would be met with retaliation. Sana'a has cast its recent actions as part of a strategy to deter further escalation and pressure Riyadh to lift its blockade.

The operation follows earlier Houthi strikes on Saudi military positions and maritime measures against Saudi-linked shipping. The group said it would continue tracking Saudi military activity and respond to preparations for further attacks.